The present invention relates to liquid dispensers. In particular, the present invention is related to a refrigerated liquid product dispenser having a unique set of cooling features, as well as a novel clean-in-place cleaning and sanitation system.
The dispensing of liquid products such as dairy or egg products presents unique challenges. One challenge is related to the consistency of the product. For example, a specific pancake recipe may call for a specific portion of pancake batter, or a specific omelet recipe may call for a specific portion of eggs. A restaurant needs to have consistent portion control to both ensure a proper recipe and also to control product waste. Current dosing and usage procedures require the dipping of a selected size cup or ladle into an uncovered product vat, repeatedly to acquire the desired dose or portion. There is therefore a need for the accurate and consistent dispensing of a liquid, a dairy or an egg product. It is known that in the food service business, a 5-10 percent savings in food cost can be the difference between a profitable and a struggling business.
In addition to the dose consistency challenges, most, if not all, restaurants are concerned with the safety of the food. Dairy products and eggs are of specific concern for restaurants as these products are more likely to spoil faster in a hot kitchen environment. y wish to keep them safe. One way of maintaining safety is to make sure that dairy and egg products are maintained at refrigerated conditions. Refrigerated dairy dispensers and refrigerated kitchen work stations are known. FIG. 1A shows a typical egg station that is used in current commercial or industrial kitchens. FIG. 1A shows a typical egg station implementation for a cold-pan storage station. Such a station includes one or more ⅓ pans that sit in slots that hang over a refrigerated counter top height station. Using such a station, the egg or dairy product is kept cold (e.g., about 35-40° F.) by a refrigeration loop that is supplied to keep the station cold. The egg or dairy products are kept in the pans that hang from the top surface of the station. In such a station, where the egg or dairy product may be kept in open vats, the desired product is portioned by dipping of a selected size cup, ladle or other utensil into an uncovered product vat to acquire the desired dose or portion. Such utensils as well as the station itself need to be kept clean to ensure food safety.
Currently, all utensils and product handling equipment in an industrial kitchen setting are sanitized using a three-step, sink operation, and then the sanitized equipment is potentially exposed to environmental contamination.
There is therefore a need for a system for the accurate and consistent dispensing of liquid, dairy or an egg product where the safety of the food is not compromised and where the dispensing system can be easily cleaned in place, and which does not suffer from the above shortcomings.